Binoculars

[DawgDoc]

I have never had a good set of binoculars to hunt with - does anyone have suggestions of a good pair and magnification recommended. I live in South Georgia so I would say sighting distance is usually short due to vegetation but would be nice to have a little larger binocular for when you can see several hundred yards.

[Terry Green]

Yes, no more than 8 power. Same here in N GA.

I'll be back in a bit to post what I'm gonna buy.

[dpointon8574]

Funny you should ask. I recently did a test on quite few binoculars and ended up with Maven, since I am out west, I went with 10 x 42 but as Terry suggested 8 would work well in your situation.

[dnovo]

Buy the best you can afford.  Look at them as a long term investment.  I bought a pair of Swarovski's  8x30  32 years ago and they are still going strong. So I'm at about $12 a year now.
I carry them on every hunt from whitetails to Texas javelina and hogs, mule deer out west and elk.  Great for picking out that movement or spot at 50 yards in the whitetail woods.

[5deer]

   check out  the   Hawke  Endurance ED 8x32  or   8x42       

[Wudstix]

Leupold Yosemite 6x30 good size, just on the upper end of compact.  Good for the occasional 75-80 yard appraisal.
 

[kopfjaeger]

I have four pair of binoculars but my favorite are my Swarovski 8X30. They are a little pricey. 

[Wudstix]

I've had Steiner, Nikon, Vortex, Optolyth, Leupold all have served well.  Still use the Leupold for tight stuff and Vortex 10x42 for general hunting.  The Optolyth are 8x56 and used when weight is not worried about.
 

[Stringwacker]

Some folks say Swarovski is the gold standard for bino's. I had a pair of SLC 8x30's that I bought almost 30 years ago and recently sold them for just a little less than I gave for them.

I wanted something a bit lighter that could go in a fanny pack to be used primarily in the dense vegetation of the southern swamps. I settled on the Swarovski CL pocket glasses in 8 x 25. They don't match the light gathering ability of SLC's but they are still darn good...and the price is a little more reasonable....sort of.

That said Swarovski products are very pricey and not many folks aren't going to need or want a set of glasses to that standard of quality. But...they are a lifetime investment that if you can justify the cost....you will never regret buying through the years.

[Kenny Henderson]

I have a set of Zeiss 10x40 bino’s and a set of Zeiss 8x30 bino’s, both pair are about 25 years old and still going strong, I tend to use the 8x30’s a lot more than I do the 10x40’s. They were crazy expensive new, but I don’t regret buying them one bit.

[Wudstix]

My Steiners and Optolyth are clearer than some of the other, and I got them while in Germany.  The Steiners I was able to go to the factory and buy a "second" ha-ha is that even a thing?  Optolyth uses Zeiss lens and puts them in similar shaped bodies at 1/3 the price.
 

[DawgDoc]

I’m really partial to the Swarovski’s but keep the recommendations coming - I really at the point I want a lifetime pair. While we are discussing does anyone have a harness they like?

[Wudstix]

I'm not sure I have the much lifetime left to make Swarovski worth the investment!!!
 

[kopfjaeger]

My four. Center Point 16X50. Steiner M22, 7X50.  Swarovski 8X30.  Vortex 10X28.

Bought the Steiners when I was stationed in West Germany with the U.S. Army.

[Michael Guran]

I agree with buying the best you can afford.  Most of my hunting is in the SE and midwest, and 8x is plenty for that terrain.  I bought some Leica 8x32 over 20 years ago and consider them money well spent.  They go with me on every hunt and are just as clear today as they were when I bought them.

[Lefty]

I just went through the same thing.  As I have gotten older, it is tougher for me to see in low light.  After reading a lot of bino threads and watching even more comparison videos of YT, I decided to go for it and get the Swarovski EL 8.5x42.  Only had them 4 days so far, but love them.  All the articles and videos seemed to have the same conclusion, Sawro's are the best and brand X is almost as good.  Maybe if it wasn't for my aging eyes, almost as good would have been fine and saved me $800-$1000.  Warranty and customer service is also the best with Swaro's.

[D.Rose]

Mazven b3 8X30's on a rick young harness is hard to beat for what you need. If I wanted best bang for the buck and not be afraid to use and abuse them that's the route I'd go. I used that exact set up for a few year and really liked it. Since then I have upgraded to a pair of Zeiss Victory SF 8X32's in a small marsupial harness. I go and hunt a little bit of everything so the Zeiss 8X32 is a good middle of the road option that can handle about any situation. Very satisfied with that set up no doubt.

[Walt Francis]

Buy the best you can afford and work the best for you.

I always have a set of 10x40 Leopold in my truck, and 10x40 in my wife’s car for looking at critters.
I had a Swarovski 8x30 for several years then bought a compact 10x25 Leica, hardly ever used the 8x30’s and sold them.  I really like the lightweight 10x25’s and have used them for over 20 years.

I did breakdown and buy a set of Swarovski 10x42 NL PUR’s last year, they are about as good as they get.  That said, Hunter has a set of range finding 10x42 Leica’s that are every bit as good as my Swarovski’s.

[trad_bowhunter1965]

I have always used the best bino I could afford and right now I use Swarovski 10x50 EL. .

[Alexander Traditional]

I bought a pair of Zeiss 20 years ago,and they look like the day I bought them. I like the Zeiss better than any other myself,but when you get to that price range they are all good,and you should go somewhere that you can look at them all. The big outdoor superstores will have them all,and you can compare them. I should have gone with some 8 by something instead of 10 power for what I do,but they serve the purpose.